Cannes’ Teen Presence

When she was 11, she kissed Brad Pitt in “Interview With the Vampire.” When she was 15, she took orders from Dustin Hoffman in “Wag the Dog.”

Now, actress Kirsten Dunst, barely 17, is in Cannes for the first time. This, she says, beats all.

“I am so excited to be here,” the high school junior said Friday as she posed for a photo on the roof of the Hotel Savoy, a perch with a pristine view of a city come alive with film-watching, star-gazing and deal-making.

Then, the veteran of nearly 40 film and TV projects revealed what was really on her mind: high school. “But when I think of all the homework I have to do when I get back,” she said, grimacing.

If that weren’t proof that Dunst, though poised and ambitious, is in many ways just another teen-ager, the actress then looked at the pool--a modern, above-ground model with see-through walls--and said disapprovingly: “What if you’re swimming and you want to pick a wedgie? People would see you. I’d hate that.”

It was the first morning of what Dunst laughingly called “Kirsten in Cannes”--a two-day spin around the world’s most important international film festival that would, she hoped, help sell the distribution rights to two of her latest films--”The Virgin Suicides” and “Drop Dead Gorgeous”--and pump up interest in several others that are coming soon.

But Dunst, her long, navy spandex skirt yanked 3 inches below her navel, her mom’s red mules on her feet and her green Kate Spade bag clutched under her arm, also admitted, sweetly, to a few more personal goals she was hoping to achieve in the Cote D’Azur.

“I want a chocolate souffle, a tube-top bathing suit and Haagen- Dazs before we leave,” said Dunst, who took a break from shooting her next film in Prague to come to Cannes. “There isn’t a lot of shopping in Prague.”

When it comes to Hollywood stars, Cannes has always been a showcase for big names of the heft that can draw international audiences--Bruce Willis and John Travolta came last year; this year it’s Sean Connery and Tim Robbins. But this is still a place where a rising young actress wants to come and make a mark.

Dunst, who’s part of the new crop of underage stars who are populating the teen films that studios are releasing as fast as they can make them, is no exception. She arrived in Cannes sans entourage, with the producer of her next film as her only travel companion. Let Connery stay at the opulent Hotel du Cap. Dunst, who decided to come only at the last minute, was making do with a place she would only describe as “the worst hotel in Cannes.”

Dunst’s pretty face is familiar, but not in its current form. As she is the first to admit, “My films with me looking older haven’t come out yet. And not many people look at me and say, ‘Hey, she was the Albanian refugee in ‘Wag the Dog.’ ”

She was, of course. She also played the youngest vampire in “Interview With the Vampire,” Amy in “Little Women,” the older sister in “Jumanji” and had a recurring role in TV’s “ER,” playing a runaway teen whom George Clooney’s character took under his wing.

But now, Dunst is growing up and her film career is about to pop. She’s in two movies being shown here. “The Virgin Suicides,” based on Jeffrey Eugenides’ acclaimed novel about a family of popular sisters thrown into turmoil when one attempts suicide The film, directed by Sofia Coppola, is featured in the Director’s Fortnight competition. New Line Cinema’s “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” in which Dunst plays an ambitious beauty pageant contender, is here seeking international distribution. It opens in the U.S. in July.

Dunst is intentionally mixing genres, doing both comedy and drama. (“If I did dramas all the time, I think I’d be depressed,” she said). And her upcoming films show off that range.

Next up is Columbia’s summer comedy “Dick,” about two teens in the 1970s involved in the Watergate scandal, and another sequel to the horror film “The Crow.” The film she’s currently shooting in Prague is a 19th century love story, “All Forgotten,” in which she plays the lead: a beautiful, manipulative flirt who tramples the heart of her most sincere suitor.

“She’s a powerful woman. She’s got everyone at her fingertips. I don’t pick weak characters,” Dunst said of her role in ‘Forgotten.’ “The only thing that’s a pain is the corsets. You don’t want to eat in those.”

Under overcast skies, Dunst gamely set out Friday for a non-stop series of interviews and parties. She had slept badly at her hotel, where the “beds were hard as rocks.”

She’d eaten poorly. (“I’ve had better croissants in the U.S.!”) And she was worried about her self-styled hair. (“I have no hair spray for the flyaways!”)

Nevertheless, she displayed, well, teen spirit. For example, she was pleased with her festival credential, not only because it’ll make a great souvenir but also because her photo was goofy.

“I look like a dork,” she said, eager to show it off. “I have a really big head and a small body.”

In interviews, Dunst talked about missing her mom, who lives in Toluca Lake with Kirsten’s 12-year-old brother. She talked about wanting to be a director, and about how it irks her that male actors always get top billing. She revealed that while she will definitely go to see “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace,” she has not seen a single previous “Star Wars” film. (“To me, it’s always been a guy thing,” she said.)

During an interview with Access Hollywood, she even deigned to answer what she would later call “one of those cat fight questions”: If you and Denise Richards (her co-star in “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” which features a hair-pulling, knockdown drag-out brawl between the two) were in a real fight, who would win?

“I’m not that kind of person,” Dunst said. “I don’t get in fights.”

After a quick trip to St. Tropez later in the day to help open a Tommy Hilfiger boutique, Dunst was booked for a dinner with film distributors and a party put on by MTV. But as she stood on the Croissette, taking in the crowds and the oversized movie billboards for the first time, she stopped to consider an alternative plan: Going to a movie.

As she eyeballed the red carpet at the Palais--where the evening black-tie screenings are held--she thought of all the dressy clothes she’d painstakingly brought with her from Czechoslovakia.

“I hope we get to go to a premiere,” she said wistfully, “because I’ve got the Dolce & Gabbana going on!”